Wampanoag tribe member wants to reclaim Cape Cod land

Tuesday

A member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe says he wants to file a new lawsuit to reclaim thousands of acres of land on Cape Cod for the tribe.

A member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe says he wants to file a new lawsuit to reclaim thousands of acres of land on Cape Cod for the tribe.

Tribe members tried to bring the suit in 1976, but it was rejected on the grounds that the tribe was not officially recognized by the federal government. A second suit also failed in the early 1980s.

Tribe member Steven Bingham said Tuesday that thanks to federal recognition gained earlier this year by the Mashpee Wampanoags, he wants to try again. Bingham said he would put up some of the necessary funds.

As with the previous lawsuits, the tribe would argue that as much as 11,000 acres on the Cape were never legally transferred from the Wampanoags in the years after 1790, when a federal law was passed that required Congressional approval of all lands transferred from Indian to non-Indian ownership. Bingham said the land now should be returned to the tribe.

Bingham said he did not know how soon the lawsuit could be filed and plans to consult with other tribe members.

The tribe has been in the spotlight in recent months for planning to build a massive resort casino in Middleboro. Glenn Marshall, who had been the tribe council leader and the public face of the tribe's move to put a casino in southeastern Massachusetts, stepped down Monday after revelations that he is a convicted rapist and he lied about his military record. He has been replaced by Shawn W. Hendricks Sr.